The Los Angeles Lakers are banking on youth in 2015. The team is going with a rookie and a second-year pro for their point guard position as Jordan Clarkson returns with D'Angelo Russell coming on. The pressure is on both players after a lackluster showing in the Las Vegas summer league and they certainly know it. As Clarkson and Russell get an early jump on training, will their struggles force interest elsewhere for Los Angeles?
According to the Los Angeles Lakers Twitter account, both Clarkson and Russell have reported early before training camp is set to begin in order to start getting in workouts to improve. Head coach Byron Scott said earlier in the offseason that Russell and Clarkson would be competing to start and he was going to employee former Lakers like Steve Nash to help their growth before the year begins. So what happens if either player continues their struggles that were present in summer league play?
The Lakers have been linked to several point guard trades throughout the offseason and the mid-season deadline could show activity for the team if they are not satisfied by the play of either point guard. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers have been shopping the likes of Nick Young, Ryan Kelly and Robert Sacre in trade deals and could use that package to get a point guard. Everyone from Ricky Rubio to Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Jennings could be available come the mid-season deadline based on the play of other players and the Lakers would have an opportunity to get a quality player to finish out the year.
For now, they are putting their eggs in the basket of Clarkson and Russell. Scott told ESPN that he envisions those two being the Lakers backcourt for years to come. Russell has all of the confidence in the world and is even making predictions for the team saying the playoffs are not out of the question.
"Expectations are high," Russell said via Basketball Insiders, "but this Lakers squad will most definitely be a playoff team."
The Lakers are inching closer to inking Metta World Peace to a contract. According to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, World Peace is already getting in workouts with Julius Randle as he helps the second-year player prepare for his first real season in the NBA. The Lakers need Randle to step up right away and be dependable after a season-ending injury stopped his rookie year from ever happening.